EUNICAS, European University Central Application Support Service

Irish Independent May 24 2012
Families are facing the prospect of a huge hike in the fees for sending children to college.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has already signalled that charges would rise to €3,000 a year by September 2015. But that could now double to €6,000 in the wake of new recommendations.

In September, students will already be paying €2,250 in registration fees, with phased increases for each of the next three years. But a report being prepared for Mr Quinn is likely to conclude that there is no alternative to students paying even more.

The most likely formula would give students a choice of paying their fees upfront -- with a discount -- or paying later in the form of a graduate tax.

The report on funding for third-level education, being drafted by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), will be presented to the minister later this year.

There is no working figure on what fees could be set at, but University College Cork (UCC) president Dr Michael Murphy has said it would need to be at least €4,500-€5,000 a year. Other sources said yesterday that it could be €6,000.

That would still be below the actual cost of funding a year's college education for each student, which is €10,000. It ranges from about €7,000 a year for an arts student, up to €30,000 a year for medicine or dentistry.

HEA chief executive Tom Boland said yesterday a return of fees was firmly on the agenda. He said colleges needed more money and the exchequer could not afford to pay.

The pressure for more funding comes amid predictions of an explosion in third-level student numbers in about three years' time, and continuing for 10-15 years, at least.

The baby boom, and growing demand for third-level education, is expected to lead to a rise in college enrolments from about 160,000 now to more than 200,000 by 2020.

Colleges are also under pressure to compete at world-class level, and international university league tables have shown how recent cuts have damaged our standing in these rankings.

According to the HEA, the alternative to introducing new ways of funding third level to ensure it would be of the necessary quality, would be to put a limit on student numbers.

A new system of ranking countries said to be the ‘best’ at providing higher education was published recently by Universitas 21, the 15-year-old global network of 23 leading research-intensive universities*

EUNiCAS is running its next public information sessions at the end of the month, in London and Dublin, where you can learn about the opportunities to study in Europe, through English, both in 2012 and 2013. Find out about programme availability, entry requirements, application procedures, student support and much more.

Applications are still open for programmes in:
Medicine
Dentistry
Veterinary Science
Physiotherapy
Game Design
Psychology
Business
International Relations
And many other subject areas

The sessions are:
Saturday 28th April 12.00    BCT Institute, Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Sunday 29th April 12.00    SOAS, University of London, Russell Square, London WC1

Simply E-mail us with ‘Info Session Registration’ as subject, and your name and number of people attending in main part of mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it [for London session] OR This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it [for Dublin session]

Students, parents and careers advisors all welcome

Daily Telegraph 29 March 2012

Almost 100 out of 130 universities in England could be forced to take fewer undergraduates this year numbers following the introduction of reforms designed to drive down tuition fees, it emerged.

Many members of the elite Russell Group are among those facing reductions, with Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton being particularly hit.

Data from the Government’s Higher Education Funding Council for England suggests some newer universities such as Bedfordshire and East London are expecting to lose around one-in-eight places.

The cuts are being imposed following the introduction of new rules that effectively penalise universities charging more than £7,500 in student fees from this autumn. It means large numbers of places are being shifted towards less expensive further education colleges.

But Prof Michael Farthing, vice-chancellor of Sussex University and chairman of the 1994 Group, which represents many small research institutions, said the figures show that “many excellent students will be denied places at their first choice universities. The number of students  that universities are allowed to recruit has been cut across the sector, with 20,000 places auctioned off to institutions with lower than average fees,” he said.

“Far from giving the best universities freedom to take on more students this represents a push to a cut-price education."

Over the next six weeks, the application deadlines are approaching for over sixty programmes in leading universities across Europe that can put you on the fast track to an international career. Of course there are a significant number of programmes that are open for applications until the end of June and even later but, if you are interested in any of the programmes below, you should contact EUNiCAS now to ensure your application arrives in time.

Health & Life Sciences

* later applications possibly  accepted, if there are vacant places

Engineering & IT

Humanities & Social Sciences

Business & Economics